Looking for an authentic Jamaican experience? Want to immerse yourself in Negril’s laid-back and fun-loving beach culture, while still providing your kids with a safe, family-friendly vacation? For the budget-minded family, the Negril Treehouse Resort, located on one of the most beautiful and exciting stretches of Jamaica’s famous Seven Mile Beach, is a great choice.

Negril was the destination of choice for free and fun-loving hippies in the 1960s. Gail Jackson, the friendly innkeeper at the Negril Treehouse Resort, is no hippie, but she did fall in love with the area and her future Jamaican husband in 1981, during her first visit. Judging from the many repeat guests here, it seems plenty of visitors have fallen for the charms of this former engineer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She’s always around the resort, greeting guests and making sure everything in her slice of paradise runs smoothly.

There’s a fun open-air bar overlooking the beach and the pool. It’s a great place to relax and talk to some of the locals and repeat guests who’ve fallen in love with the Jamaican island culture. Having a drink or two at the Negril Treehouse bar gives you a chance to experience the true Jamaican spirit. It also provides a convenient vantage point for parents, as you can keep an eye on your kids in the large, yet simple pool and Jacuzzi located next to the bar. There’s no waterfall or waterpark, and staff won’t be organizing any wild and crazy poolside games. If you’re looking for that sort of vacation entertainment, you might want to look elsewhere.

Parents will appreciate the resort for its lush gardens, scenic and affordable restaurant, fun bar and overall congenial atmosphere. Kids will love the sizable pool and soft sand beach. This is the place for a truly laid-back Jamaican vacation.

The Negril Treehouse Resort has 70 simple, yet clean and tastefully decorated guestrooms, scattered along meandering pathways through the well-maintained tropical gardens. Most of the rooms are in unique octagonal shaped buildings, known to resist storm and wind damage. Every room comes with its own front patio, furnished with a hanging hammock swing, table and chairs. The patios are a nice architectural element of the resort, encouraging guests to sit and talk, as there are no barriers or railings dividing neighboring patios.

Rooms are spotlessly clean and decorated with Caribbean-inspired colors, furniture and art. Each room has air conditioning and cable TV with several movie channels. Some of the rooms have flat-screen TVs. Bathrooms are clean and vary from lovely tiled showers with no bathtub, to standard tubs with new shower curtains. If a bathtub is important for you, make sure to request one upon booking. The hotel provides pretty basic toiletries - toothpaste, soap and shampoo from dispensers, and a hairdryer. There's nothing fancy about the Negril Treehouse Resort rooms, but they are clean and the decor has been updated. It's nice that the resort provides a variety of accommodations to fit different size families.

Standard Rooms
Standard rooms have either one king-sized bed or two single beds. An additional twin bed can be added to any room for $25 per night, which includes that guest's breakfast. The standard room can fit up to two adults and one child.

One-Bedroom Suites
Suites come with full kitchens and are nice for larger families. A one-bedroom suite fits four to five people. These units feature a king-sized bed in the master bedroom, and two single beds in the living room area. An extra twin bed can be added to sleep five people. There are two bathrooms and two flat screen TVs. The kitchens include a refrigerator, stove and microwave.

Two-Bedroom Suites
Two-bedroom suites fit six to eight people. There's a loft bedroom, full kitchen, three flat-screen cable TVs and two bathrooms. Every room has a sizable patio with a hammock swing, table and chairs. The hotel also has complimentary portable playpens for guest use. There are several ocean-view guestrooms, but most look out on the well-maintained gardens.

Negril Treehouse Resort does not have a kids club or any scheduled activities or games, nor is there a playground within walking distance.

Beach
The beach is the place to be. From morning, when one can see local fishermen selling their daily catch, until the glorious sunset, this is truly one of Jamaica's most beautiful and fun beaches. The hotel sits directly along a stretch of soft white sand and provides beach chairs, towels and shaded areas. The hotel does not provide beach toys, so bring your own or purchase them upon arrival.

Every morning, staffs from the restaurants and hotels along Seven Mile Beach are out raking the sand, keeping it picture perfect for guests. Take advantage of the pristine conditions by going on family beach walks. Negril Treehouse Resort sits right in the middle of the action, and that's a good thing. Stroll along the sand until you find an inviting jerk chicken shack, souvenir stand, beachside bar or ice cream shop, then stop and chill awhile with the friendly mix of locals and tourists. If you don't want to be bothered by beach vendors, just be clear you're not buying, and they'll move along.

One fun beachfront activity for girls is getting their hair braided with beads, a great souvenir of their Jamaican holiday. There are plenty of vendors along the beach willing to offer their hair styling services.

Pool
Negril Treehouse Resort also has a sizable pool and Jacuzzi. It's the kind of place where no one minds if your kids make some noise, so go ahead and enjoy!

Activities Available at Concierge
The resort has a tour desk where you can arrange adventure trips, including horseback riding, plantation tours, a visit to Kool Runnings Waterpark and other activities. Chukka Caribbean Adventures is one of the largest and most respected tour operators, and offers ATV, Jeep and river rafting tours. There's also an onsite watersports center where you can arrange glass bottom boat tours, snorkeling trips and rent stand-up paddle boards.

Breakfast Buffet
A bountiful breakfast buffet is included in your room rate, with an omelet bar, waffles, toast, tropical fruits and plenty of Jamaican specialties like brown stew chicken. Breakfast is served from 8 to 11 a.m., and includes coffee and juice.

The upstairs buffet restaurant provides a lovely view of the ocean, and is built around the enormous tree that led to the resort's name. You'll have to keep a close eye on any small children though, as the upstairs buffet area has a balcony with wide rails that aren't really safe for an active toddler. They do have high chairs though, or you can have food delivered to your room for a $2 fee. You can also opt to pick up food from the buffet yourself and eat poolside or on your own patio.

Beach Bar and Grill
The resort also has a casual open-air restaurant directly on the beach. During high tide, the restaurant is actually in the water. If you're a beach lover, this is affordable alfresco dining in paradise. The chef is from Hong Kong, so there's an extensive Chinese menu, as well as Jamaican specialties and the standard hamburgers and hot dogs. The restaurant overlooks the pool/Jacuzzi, as well as the beach, so depending on the age of your children, mom and dad can enjoy an oceanfront meal while keeping an eye on the kids.

All About the Extras
Fitness Center
Negril Treehouse Resort does not have a fitness center. Instead, consider a morning jog or walk along the beach.

Wi-Fi
The resort has a generous Internet policy. It's only $4 for 24 hours of in-room Wi-Fi service. Wi-Fi is complimentary in the lobby, which reaches to the upstairs breakfast area and even out by the pool.

Babysitting
If you give the staff a day's notice, they will find a babysitter for an additional fee.

The Art of Smart Timing
High season in Negril is December 15 through April 15. Hurricane season is June 1 through the end of November.

You may want to schedule your visit around one of Negril's many events or festivals. The Bob Marley Birthday Bash is in February, Negril Jerkfest is in November and the Reggae Marathon is in December. July brings thousands to Sumfest, one of the world's largest reggae music festivals, held in neighboring Montego Bay.

Getting There
Negril Treehouse Resort is 60 miles west of Donald Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. The cab ride takes you just over one hour and will cost you upwards of $60, depending on the number of people traveling.

Getting Around
If you are debating whether to rent a car, keep in mind this is a former British colony; they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel's on the right. You decide how comfortable you are with that. If you do rent a car, the directions to the hotel are not complicated. Just take highway A1 west from the airport and stay on it until you reach Negril. The resort will be on your right hand side along Norman Manley Boulevard. One big perk is that the hotel provides free parking.

For Mom and Dad
Enjoy a first-rate massage just steps away from your room is an outdoor beachfront treatment table. If you prefer more privacy, they'll come to your room. If you're looking for a more exciting night out, check in with Negril Treehouse's friendly bartender to find out when and where the reggae shows are during your stay. Most weekend evenings there will be a variety of live music options offered within easy walking distance of the hotel.